2 months ago
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Nick Saban's retirement may already be winding down.
The seven-time national champion coach at Louisiana State and Alabama is rumored to be eying a return to the sidelines a couple of years after his final season in Tuscaloosa.
'A very much in-the-know person that I have a lot of respect for and have spent a lot of time around, and just really, really admire – they seem to think Nick Saban is not done coaching,' former Crimson Tide quarterback Greg McIlroy sad on Monday's 'Mac and Cube' show in Birmingham.
'He's pretty adamant that he thinks Nick Saban will be coaching again.'
Asked for his source, McIlroy opted against revealing too much but did emphasize this person is definitely a high-level college football insider.
'If it wasn't someone notable, I would never say a word,' McIlroy said. 'He is of firm belief that Nick Saban will coach in college football again.'
ESPN's Nick Saban looks on from the set of College Gameday back in January
Saban celebrates with the CFP Trophy after defeating the Georgia Bulldogs during the College Football Playoff National Championship held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 8, 2018
Saban, now a co-host on ESPN's College GameDay, was replaced at Alabama by former Washington head coach Kalen DeBoer, who went 9-4 in his first season at the helm.
It's not clear if Saban is eying a return to the Crimson Tide or another program, but the College Football Hall of Famer would likely have many suitors if he decided to leave his analyst position with ESPN.
One school to keep an eye on could be Arkansas, which is just 30-31 under head coach Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks athletic department does have deep pockets, thanks to donors like former Arkansas football player and current Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Tyson Foods chairman John Tyson, and the Walton family, owners of Wal-Mart.
What's more, Jones and Saban do have a relationship, but it's unclear if that could be used to sway the decorated coach to Fayetteville. And just last year, ESPN reported that Arkansas was able to sign former national-champion basketball coach John Calipari to a $42.5 million deal thanks to the looming presence of boosters like Jones.
In December, CNBC ranked Arkansas as the 18th-ranked NCAA athletic department in terms of value, which was estimated at $776 million.
Daily Mail has reached out to Saban's agent for comment about his future plans.
